A self-portrait in art

A house isn’t just a home. It’s an Observer’s Guide to the owners’ taste and personality. In some places you have to look hard for clues, but in Annette Petchey’s property even an amateur nosey-parker could spot them.

The 10,000 books, mainly on art, architecture, topography and religion are a dead giveaway as are the powerful contemporary paintings that create an interesting juxtaposition with the historic building.

It’s also clear that Annette and her husband Robert Brodie have a shared enthusiasm for craftsmanship and conservation. The quality of everything, be it antique or modern, is what ties the interior together so well.

“We like to support designer makers and the quality is important to us,” says Annette, who works in financial services helping to boost under-performing companies. She and Robert, who works in banking, bought the six- bedroom, grade two star house in the centre of Ripon, after moving out of London in 2007.

“Robert is from Northumberland and we had a weekend cottage near Richmond so we wanted to move to the north. We are both outdoorsy. Robert loves walking and I ride.

“Our search area was big and we looked at lots of properties but when we saw this house we both fell in love with it immediately. It had a lovely calm, peaceful feel and felt like a happy home,” says Annette.

The merchant’s house is one of the oldest in the city and dates back to the early 16th century with an extension in the late 17th century when the roof pitch was raised. This is reflected in the roof timbers, a tangled web of wood around a cruck frame that would no doubt horrify surveyors and structural engineers but which has worked perfectly for more than 300 years.

The character of the property and its enormous garden appealed to the couple, who have two children. But it required a lot of work and they still haven’t ticked everything off the “to do” list.

“It’s quite scary really. It was damp, some of the rooms had heating and some didn’t and it need rewiring. The whole place needs redecorating and it has had death-watch beetle, so that’s something we have to listen out for. You hear them first as they have a blunt head and bang it against the wood,” says Annette, who is a big fan of SPAB, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.

The first job was to strip off the 1950s cement render that was suffocating the building and creating damp. It was replaced with a breathable lime render. Another priority was to create a library for their books. Robert is fascinated by the Abrahamic faiths, while Annette collects books on art.

The double-stacked library was designed and made by Anthony Nixon, of Barnard Castle, who also made the kitchen table, which is topped with fossil-encrusted marble, and the table and chairs in the dining hall. Other pieces were made by Treske in Thirsk and Robert “Mouseman” Thompson’s in Kilburn.

The walls are decorated in period colours and adorned with Annette’s collection of art, though hanging it proved a challenge due to the 17th century panelling. She is passionate about paintings and her favourite artist is Glasgow-based figurative painter Jennifer Anderson.

“I started collecting her work when she was relatively unknown. I don’t collect expensive masterpieces. I buy from fairly unknown artists and some of those people fade into obscurity and some go on to be well-known.

“I just love beautiful paintings. I find them uplifting and love that they have the power to change your mood.”

Her interest in promising artists and her desire to support them started with mentoring work she does for Prince’s Trust and resulted in her founding a new Northern art prize, New Lights, whose main sponsor is Yorkshire’s Valeria Sykes.

“What struck me when I moved up here was how many fantastic young artists the north has and how cheap their work is. It is four or five times cheaper than it is in London. At first I thought, ‘Great. I can fill my boots’, but then after talking to the artists I realised that so many of them could not make a living from their work and a lot of them gave up on their dream.”

New Lights awards a £10,000 prize allowing an artist to dedicate a year to their work. They are also mentored during this time and their work exhibited.

Annette’s contemporary art collection works well with the period surroundings and the old furniture. Some of the furniture is sourced from sale rooms. The long case clock and grand piano were bought from the previous owner and complement the original features which include fireplaces, a 17th century staircase and the kitchen door that still has witch wards etched into it.

The front door is also original but its enormous iron key is not compatible with modern living. “We tend to use the back door most of the time because the key for the front is certainly not handbag size,” says Annette.

There is still room to extend into the servants’ quarters in the loft and a new kitchen is on the cards. “A house like this is a never ending series of jobs, but we are not in any rush,” says Annette. “I think we’ll be here for a long time. Robert doesn’t think we’ll ever move again.”

NEW LIGHTS ART PRIZE BACKS NORTHERN TALENT

The deadline for the New Lights Art Prize has been extended to August 12 to enable new graduates to apply.

The New Lights Art award, worth £10,000 to the winner, aims to provide a springboard for young artists to turn professional. Entry details can be found on http://www.newlights.org.uk/prize or by emailing [email protected]

Entrants must be aged between 23 and 35 years, live and work in the North of England, as defined by the historic counties of Cumbria, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland and Yorkshire, or have graduated in an art-based subject from a college or university in the North.

New Light’s chief executive Annette Petchey adds: “New Lights aims to recognise and promote aspiring young painters and the exhibition of shortlisted entries will provide a superb platform to showcase young talent”.

Entrants will be judged by Kate Brindley, Director of Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (mima) and a National Advisor for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Art Funding Programme; Paul Hobson, Director of the Contemporary Arts Society and William Tillyer, the international artist who comes from the North East. Paintings must be in oil, acrylic, watercolour or mixed media and the exhibition winners will be announced on September 22 at a special preview.

The Mercer Gallery in Harrogate will host an exhibition of all short-listed entries from September 24 until the end of the year.